Mister water cap

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates generally to a replacement cap for disposable water bottles with drinking spout and a mist sprayer. More particularly it discloses a unique flexible thread arrangement to allow it to fit on both US and European standard bottle threads.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of Invention

The present invention relates generally to a replacement cap for water bottles that includes a drinking spout and a mist sprayer. More particularly it discloses a unique flexible thread arrangement to allow it to fit on both US and European standard bottle threads.

2. Prior Art

Spray tops for bottles have been on the market for many years. Pull-up and flip-up drinking spouts have also been available on several different brands of bottled drinking water. Most US bottled water brands have a standard cap with a standard thread design. European water bottles have a slightly different thread design. Thus a one size cap to fit both designs has been heretofore unavailable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Bottled water is sold at many venues such as sporting events, concerts, beaches or pools and other competitive endeavors. It would be beneficial after purchasing a bottle of water to replace its sealed cap with one that could be used for either hydration by drinking from its sealable spout or used for spraying water onto the skin in a fine mist, allowing evaporation to cool the user. Parents of children may also find it useful for minor clean ups as well. It is an object of this invention to fit both United States and European threads and thus work on almost all plastic disposable water bottles by having flexible thread sections on the inside diameter of this new invention.

DRAWINGS:

In order that the invention is fully understood it will now be described with reference to the following drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an enlarged top view of a Mister Water Cap.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged front section view thereof taken along cutting plane 2-2 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged staggered section view taken along cutting plane 3-3 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged bottom view thereof.

FIG. 5A is a partial section view taken on cutting plane 2-2 in FIG. 1 of a Mister Water Cap also showing, in exploded form, a nozzle and pump assembly and standard disposable water bottle.

FIG. 5B is an extension of the partial section view of FIG. 5A taken on cutting plane 2-2 in FIG. 1 of a Mister Water Cap also showing, in exploded form, a nozzle and pump assembly and standard disposable water bottle.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a Mister Water Cap with an assembled nozzle and pump assembly, and showing a standard disposable water bottle and cap.

Bottles, bottle caps, nozzles and pump assemblies are shown in broken lines in FIG. 5A and 5B in exploded form and in FIG. 6 in an assembled perspective view as they are not part of this invention but shown for illustrative purposes only.

REFERENCE NUMBERS

The same reference numbers will be used throughout this application for the same and like features.

DESCRIPTION

In order that Mister Water Cap 10 is fully understood it will now be described by way of the following example. This new invention is a convenient and easily adaptable apparatus for use as a replacement for the sealed cap 74 on refillable liquid containers and purchased water bottles 56. Mister Water Cap 10 mounts on refillable liquid containers and water bottles 56 after sealed caps 74 are removed. It can be used to either drink from spout 32 or to spray a fine mist with pump and nozzle assembly 16. Standard bottles 56 have a very similar top opening, approximately 1-inch diameter, and a common thread dimension so that they can use a standard cap regardless of the volume of the bottle itself. Typically standard bottles 56 also have a concentric ledge 48 around the outside diameter of the neck, approximately ½ inch below the top of the bottleneck. Unfortunately U.S. and European standards for plastic bottle cap threads 58 are slightly different. Typically caps 74 have a bottom section separated by serration 92 that fits between ledge 48 and separator edge 90. When cap 74 is twisted in a counterclockwise direction it separates along serration 92 as cap 74 moves axially upward and is removed from bottle 56, leaving serrated section attached to bottle 56.

Mister Water Cap 10 consists of housing 12 with the general shape of cap 74. It is further disclosed that it has bottom 60 and upper surface 62 with cylindrical sidewall 70 descending from upper surface 62 to bottom 60. It also disclosed that it has two twist assist arms 30 extending radially outward from the base of body of housing 12. Twist assist arms 30 can be straight or curved. Depending from the bottom side of upper surface 62 are two concentric cylindrical walls 66 and 68. Wall 68 depends approximately 0.2 inches below bottom side of top surface 62. Upstanding from upper surface 62 is drinking spout 32. A preferred embodiment has drinking spout 32 upstanding from upper surface 62 approximately 1¾ inches to avoid interference with nozzle and pump assembly 16 while drinking. It contains water passage 18 that runs from the bottom side of upper surface 62 within the inside diameter of cylindrical wall 66 to external opening 64 at its distal end. Opening 64 is sealed with cap 14. Cap 14 may remain attached to Mister Water Cap 10 when it is removed for drinking by means of thin plastic strap 34 with cap retainer ring 36 slidingly engaging the perimeter of drinking spout 32 as shown in FIG. 2 or it may be simply unattached. Removal of cap 14 is facilitated by upward pressure on cap removal lip 38.

Internal cylindrical wall 66 slips inside the internal diameter of bottle 56 top opening. Shorter external cylindrical wall 68 slips over the external diameter of bottle 56 top opening, stopping before it reaches bottle 56 top's male threads 58 at approximately 1/16 inches. On opposing sides of cylindrical sidewall 70 at approximately 90 degrees from the attachment center of twist assist arms 30 are flexible thread 58 and ledge 48 engaging tabs 72. Flex notches 54 on either side of thread and ledge engagement tabs 72 start at bottom 60 and end approximately 0.4 inches up sidewall 70. Tabs 72 deflect when pulled out by release tangs 46 or are cammed away by the slope of lower clip 40 being forced over separator edge 90 and ledge 48. Flex notches 54 are approximately 1/16 inches wide and have radiused tops so as to not create stress risers. Thread and ledge engagement tabs 72 are approximately % inch wide continuing on the same arc as sidewall 70. Thread engaging details 42 on the internal surfaces of d tabs 72 are running at a compromise angle approximately half way between the U.S. and European standard thread angle. At the bottom end of tabs 72 are ledge 48 retaining lower clips 40. They have sloped bottom surfaces such that when Mister Water Cap 10 is pushed down on the top of open bottle 56, tabs 72 spring outward over ledge 48 and snap back into place below ledge 48 providing retention but not sealing. The tips of upper clip 42 drop in between threads 58 on bottle 56 when tabs 72 snap back into place. A small, approximately ¼ turn twist of Mister Water Cap 10, using twist assist arms 30, will draw the bottom side of top surface 62 tightly against the top of bottle 56, between depending walls 66 and 68 providing the required sealing action.

Mister Water Cap 10 has cylindrical wall 78 upstanding approximately 0.4 inches from upper surface 62 with an internal concentric wall 80 upstanding approximately 0.3 inches from upper surface 62. A further internal concentric cylindrical wall 82 depending approximately 0.2 inches provides tubular opening 52 through to the bottom side of top surface 62. The space between walls 78 and 80 provides the guide for standard spray nozzle and plunger button 28.

Nozzle and pump assembly 16 is not a part of this invention as there are many in the current art. A typical pump assembly 16 is disclosed here for illustrative purposes only. A typical nozzle and pump assembly 16 is comprised of standard spray nozzle and plunger button 28 with a concave surface on its top side and a piston retaining cylindrical wall 86 on its underside, concentric with the external wall of standard spray nozzle and plunger button 28. It contains a small channel leading to misting nozzle orifice 88.

A hollow piston 26 is typically fed up through tubular opening 52 and press fit into piston retaining cylindrical wall 86 in standard spray nozzle and plunger button 28. Piston 26 slides smoothly inside spring retainer 22. Axially beneath piston 26 is pump seal 24 that has a shoulder abutting the top of coil spring 20. Piston 26 and seal 24 are biased upward by spring 20. The space between upstanding wall 80 and depending wall 82 has a small spring retainer bump 44 protruding from the inside of wall 80. It locks spring retainer 22 into this space when spring retainer 22 is pushed into place as the top outside surface of spring retainer 22 has a matching bump 84 that pops over bump 44 and provides minimum retention of pump assembly 16 to Mister Water Cap 10. Spring retainer 22 has feed tube 18 inserted into its proximal end.

In use, cap 74 is replaced on bottle 56 with Mister Water Cap 10 with standard nozzle and pump assembly 16 installed. Cap 14 can be removed by upward pressure on cap removal lip 38 and liquid can be obtained through distal opening 64 from drinking spout 32. Pressing standard spray nozzle and plunger button 28 causes liquid to be drawn into proximal end of feed tube 18, through pump assembly 16 and to be forced through misting orifice 88 to dispensing a fine mist of cooling spray. Flexible thread and ledge engagement tabs 72 allow for lower clips 40 to be forced over ledge 48. When they snap back into at rest positions beneath ledge 48 they bring the internal threads 42 into contact with the external threads 58 on the bottle top. The flexibility of these tabs 72 allows upper clips 42 to engage either United States or European standard bottle top threads 58. A small twist of arms 30, approximately % turn, draws Mister Water Cap 10 firmly against the distal opening of liquid container 56 preventing leakage around interface.

The descriptions in the above specification are not intended to limit this invention to the particular pump assembly disclosed here. Nor is it intended to only work with purchased disposable water bottles. It also works well with various forms of refillable beverage containers such as the refillable sports drink type. Rather, they are shown for illustration purposes only as one skilled in these arts could easily scale the invention's dimensions and materials to work with any size liquid container. 

1. A Cap for liquid containers where said containers have necks, top openings with standard United States external threads or standard European external threads and an external ledge around the perimeter of the liquid container toward the bottom of said neck where said cap has a spout for drinking, internal threads on flexible tab sections of cap side wall for mounting said cap on either of said liquid containers and an opening for mounting a manually operable nozzle and pump assembly.
 2. A Cap for liquid containers as in claim 1 where said liquid containers are disposable plastic water bottles.
 3. A Cap for liquid containers as in claim 2 further comprising: a cylindrical base with an inside diameter, an outside diameter, a bottom, a top surface, a side wall that extends from said top surface to said bottom, and an axis; two twist assist arms diametrically opposed extending radially outward from said side wall; two flexible thread and ledge engaging tabs whose centers are located at approximately 90 degrees from the centers of said twist assist arms where said tabs have flex notches through said side walls up either side of said flexible thread and ledge engaging tabs starting at said bottom but stopping before reaching said top surface with lower clips with an inside, an outside edge and a bottom surface located at the bottom of said flexible thread and ledge engaging tabs extending below the bottom of said side wall with cam angles on said inside bottom surface such that when said Cap is forced onto said liquid containers said flexible thread and ledge engaging tabs flex radially outward, passing over said ledge and snapping back to position under said ledge with external release tangs on said outside edge of said lower clips that when pulled radially outward release tabs from under said ledge allowing removal of said Cap from said liquid containers with a small counter clockwise turn; upper clips are located toward the top of said flexible thread and ledge engaging tabs on their internal sides and have a thread detail that runs at a compromise angle, halfway between the United States standard and the European standard thread angles, such that with approximately a ¼ clockwise turn said Cap is drawn tightly against the bottom side of said top surface; a first concentric wall that depends from the underside of said top surface that slip fits inside said top opening of said liquid container; a second concentric wall that depends from the bottom side of said top surface that slip fits outside said top opening of said liquid container stopping before it reaches the top of said external threads; a hollow drinking spout upstanding from said top surface, at a sufficient height as to allow drinking from said spout without interference from said pump and nozzle assembly, with a liquid passage running from bottom side of said top surface within said first depending concentric wall to external opening at said spouts distal end; a cap that fits over said distal end of said drinking spout connected to a thin plastic strap with cap retainer ring slidingly engaging perimeter of said drinking spout.
 4. A Cap for liquid containers as in claim 2 further comprising: a cylindrical base with an inside diameter, an outside diameter, a bottom, a top surface, a side wall that extends from top surface to bottom, and an axis; two twist assist arms diametrically opposed extending radially outward from said side wall; two flexible thread and ledge engaging tabs located at approximately 90 degrees from the centers of said twist arms where said tabs have flex notches through said side walls up either side of said flexible thread and ledge engaging tabs starting at said bottom but stopping before reaching said top surface with lower clips with an inside, an outside edge and a bottom surface located at the bottom of said flexible thread and ledge engaging tabs extending below the bottom of said side wall with cam angles on said inside bottom surface such that when said Cap is forced onto said liquid containers said flexible thread and ledge engaging tabs flex radially outward, passing over said ledge and snapping back to position under said ledge with external release tangs on said outside edge of said lower clips that when pulled radially outward release tabs from under said ledge allowing removal of said Cap from said liquid containers with a small counter clockwise turn; upper clips are located toward the top of said flexible thread and ledge engaging tabs on their internal sides and have a thread detail that runs at a compromise angle, halfway between the United States standard and the European standard thread angles, such that with approximately a ¼ clockwise turn said Cap is drawn tightly against the bottom side of said top surface; a first concentric wall that depends from the underside of said top surface that slip fits inside said top opening of said liquid container; a second concentric wall that depends from the bottom side of said top surface that slip fits outside said top opening of said liquid container stopping before it reaches the top of said external threads; a hollow drinking spout upstanding from said top surface at a sufficient height as to allow drinking from said spout without interference from said pump and nozzle assembly with a liquid passage running from bottom side of said top surface within said first depending concentric wall to external opening at said spouts distal end; and a cap that fits over said distal end of said drinking spout.
 5. A cap for a liquid container as in claim 3 where said opening for mounting a manually operable pump and nozzle assembly further comprises: a third cylindrical wall upstanding from said top surface; a fourth internal concentric wall upstanding to a top level from said top surface, spaced a sufficient distance inside said third cylindrical wall to allow for clearance for the side walls of a plunger button with nozzle to slide up and down between them but said top level does not reach the height of said third cylindrical wall; a fifth cylindrical wall depending from said top level reached by said fourth cylindrical wall is concentrically spaced inside said fourth wall as to provide tubular guidance for a piston fed through said bottom of said cap into a plunger button with nozzle; a first retaining bump on the inside of said fourth wall provides a latching retention of said pump and nozzle assembly to said Cap where spring retaining body that has a second retaining bump on its top outside surface that snaps over said first retaining bump when said spring retaining body is shoved up into opening between said upstanding fourth wall and said depending fifth wall. 